Friday, July 04, 2008

Obama, Health of the Mother, and Late-Term Abortions

Barack Obama recently told a Christian magazine he opposes late-term abortions performed because of mental health problems of the mother. "I don't think that 'mental distress' qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term," Obama said.

But the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade's concurrent case, Doe v. Bolton, held that "medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors--physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age -- relevant to the wellbeing of the patient. All these factors may relate to health."

Doe v. Bolton is the reason that abortion remains legal throughout all 9 months of pregnancy for essentially any reason.

Unless Obama intends to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn that decision, his opposition to late-term abortions performed for mental health reasons is meaningless.